Oksana Masters became one of the biggest stories out of the London 2012 Paralympic Games as she and her teammate Rob Jones won a bronze medal in rowing in the trunk and arms mixed double sculls. Masters was named U.S. Rowing’s Female Athlete of the Year for 2012.

In late 2012, Masters met one of the coaches of the U.S. Paralympics Nordic ski team and was invited to a camp in Colorado. While Masters had originally been interested in downhill, not cross-country skiing, her endurance from rowing quickly translated to the snow. In her first year of skiing, Masters turned heads by earning a bronze medal in the 5km at the IPC World Cup in Canmore, Alberta. Just over a month later, she claimed bronze again at the IPC World Cup Final in Oberstdorf, Germany, in the women’s sitting 12km cross-country race.

Masters was born in Ukraine, with both of her legs damaged by in-utero radiation poisoning from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor incident. Masters was adopted when she was seven years old and began rowing at 13.